Words
in the News
Monday 24 December 2001Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find
explanations of difficult words below.

Shoe bomber to be charged
Summary: The man who was restrained on a transatlantic flight on Sunday after apparently trying to blow up explosives hidden in his shoes is due to appear in court in the United States later today.

The man identified by the British passport he was carrying as twenty-eight-year-old Richard Reid will appear before a federal court later today. He's charged with interfering with the performance of a flight crew by assault or intimidation. The maximum sentence is twenty years in jail. The FBI has published an affidavit which describes how a flight attendant first smelled smoke from a match. When she identified Reid, he hid the match in his mouth. After raising the alarm, she then saw him trying to light one of his training shoes and saw a wire coming out of it. The FBI hasn't said whether they believe the man was acting alone or as part of a wider group. French authorities are examining why the man was allowed to fly with a one-way ticket and no baggage, and after being stopped and questioned as he tried to board a flight the previous day.